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LPO 2710-01 Spring 2010 Challenges of Leadership: Fundamentals of Org Effectiveness

Instructor Corbette Doyle in 011B Payne Hall

Class Time Tues/Thur 2:35 – 3:50
Room Wyatt 050-01
Office Hours: Walk-ins welcome or by appt. Best times: T/R 10-11, 1-2, 4-5 & Wed. 3-4
Contact: Corbette.doyle@vanderbilt.edu or 615-504-6090 (email preferred or text if urgent)

Course Overview
Vision without execution is hallucination. Thomas Edision

Effective leaders in our rapidly changing, global economy excel at: interpreting incoming
information, making decisions that allow them to adapt to rapid change, and motivating their
constituents to follow their lead. The quality of the decisions they make is directly proportional to
the quality of the input and analysis they receive from all corners of the organization.

Whether you want to be a leader or an effective contributor, you need skills that will enhance the
decision-making process. This requires mastering the ability to identify relevant decision criteria,
interpret trends in the underlying data (both financial and operational), and communicate that
analysis to executives in a manner that can be readily digested. This is as true in a profession like
law or medicine as it is for an entrepreneur or a not-for-profit executive.

The course content is structured around increasingly complex, real-world problems designed to
replicate issues you might confront after graduation. Because these skills are not easily mastered
by memorizing formulas or applying textbook solutions, this course will use a Problem-based
Learning (“PBL”) approach that relies upon self-paced groups, learning-by-doing, frequent
evaluations of those learning efforts, and teacher facilitation rather than lecture. This means:
 The group, and your active participation, is critical to the knowledge acquisition process
 Lectures will be few and far between and will ALWAYS follow efforts by the group to master
the material.
For more on PBL, see the “PBL” tag on the course resource link, http://delicious.com/Professordoyle

Course Objectives
Overarching Goals:
This course will enable students to:
1. Evaluate key opportunities, concerns or trends based on a firm’s financial statements.
2. Assess the effectiveness of an organization’s strategy
3. Enhance decision-making by identifying and effectively formatting the relevant information.

Ancillary Skill Goals:

Master the skills needed to:
1. Communicate decision-making criteria to executives in 15 minutes or less.
2. Identify and locate data relevant to a decision.
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Required Texts & Tools

1. Axson, David A.J. (2007). Best practices in planning and performance management: from
data to decisions. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. ISBN: 0-470-00857-1
2. Harvard Business essentials: finance for managers. (2002). Boston, MA: Harvard Business
School Press. ISBN : 1578518768
3. Tracy, John A. (2009). How to read a financial report: for managers, entrepreneurs, lender,
lawyers and investors. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley. ISBN: 978-0-470-40530-7
4. Turning Technologies Clicker: Purchase “ResponseWare activation card” for web enabled laptop or cell
phone OR purchase “ResponseCard XR Keypad”. Available at bookstore or buy online & save $.
Vandy code = Js8y http://store.turningtechnologies.com/
5. XL Software for spreadsheet analysis
6. Reynolds, Garr. (2008). Presentation Zen: simple ideas on presentation design and delivery.
Berkely, Ca: New Riders. ISBN: 0321525655 At least one copy per Group (recommended for all)
Resources
In addition to the assigned readings, the nature of PBL requires each group to do its own research
and to track down the resources needed to both enhance understanding of the content and to find
solutions to the problems. To get you started, I have posted Readings & Resources for all problems
on the course website, www.2710.weebly.com or on http://delicious.com/Professordoyle

Assessments
I. Graded Group Problems (1,2,3,5,7,9 not graded) Due Dates Weight
4. Group Project & Presentation Feb. 23 15%
6. Group Project Mar 18 10%
8. Group Project April 1 10%
10. Group Project & Presentation April 20 15%
Weighted by Peer Evaluations of Individual Effort * ALL problems
II. Tests
1. Mid-term: Mar 2 15%
2. Final (cumulative): April 27 20%
III. Homework & Attendance 15%

Grades on Group Projects

To ensure that each person’s grade reflects their contributions, each group member will be asked to
divvy up 100 points based on each person’s contributions. These point allocations will be applied
to the group grade to determine the individual’s grade. Example: in a 3-person group, if everyone
receives 33 points, then everyone earns the group grade. If one person receives 40 points, they
would earn a higher grade than the group grade. (Ditto for less than 33 points)
* NOTE: Students who average less than 90% effort from their peers (scale: 70-110%) after the
second problem will be evicted from the group and will work alone for the rest of the semester (unless
there are other evicted students willing to form a new group with them)

Grading Scale
A+ 98 – 100 B+ 88 – 90.9 C+ 77 – 79.9 D+ 67 – 69.9
A 95 – 97.9 B 83 – 87.9 C 74 – 76.9 D 64 – 66.9
A- 91 – 94.9 B- 80 – 82.9 C- 70 – 73.9 D- 60 – 63 .9 F < 60

Late work & Honor Code

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All assignments are due at the start of class on the due date. The consequences for late work are: 1 day late
drops the grade 10 points; 2 days late—20 points, 3 days—30 points, and, after that—a zero.
All academic work at Vanderbilt is done under the guidelines set forth in the University Honor Code.
Plagiarized tests or homework will receive a zero.
Special Needs
If you have a learning or physical disability, please see me during the first week of class to discuss
accommodations.

Rubric for Projects

The D Paper The C Paper The B Paper The A Paper Score

The D project The A project shows

The C project
fails to describe The B project clearly an understanding of
Knowledge of the financial confuses different
describes the relevant the analytics that
analytics or adds
relevant analytics principles financial principles. goes beyond the
irrelevant material.
(25%) accurately. assigned readings.
Understanding of The D project The C project fails The B project clearly
how those to identify the The A project goes
reflects little if articulates the analytics
analytics apply to any research that relevant analytics and uses them
well beyond the
problem &/or articulate how analysis needed to
relates to the appropriately to solve
(30%) they apply to the present a solution
problem the problem.
problem

The D project
Clarity of Analysis The C project is The A project has the
gives no The B project is well
(20%) vague & leaves its qualities of the B
evidence of organized, and answers
audience with many project and presents
understanding all of its audience’s
unanswered valuable insight to
the relevant questions.
questions. unasked questions
material.

The C project uses The format of the

The D project The B project is easy
a confusing format A project expands
Presentation is sloppy, to follow, highlights
& may have the knowledge
format (20%) irrelevant, and multiple
the relevant info, and
communicated to
confusing is error-free .
mechanical errors. the audience.
The D project The B project
The A project is so
is confusing The C project leaves answers the key
Overall Impact of and fails to the reader with key articulate, it could
questions about the
questions and would
Project (5%) be a CEO level
educate the analysis. suffice for a
executive summary
audience. manager/supervisor
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1 1/14 Growth Ideas

2 1/19 –1/26 Strategic Analysis Homework: solo SWOT due start of 1/21 class. Axson: Chap. 1 & 5
Final group SWOT due end of 1/26 class
3 1/28 – 2/9 Getting to the Starting .Homework: solo Pro-forma due start of 2/4 class. HBR Finance: Chap 1
Line Final group Pro-forma due start of 2/9 class Tracy: Chap. 1-10
Reynolds: Foreword &
4 2/9– 2/23 Show Me the $$ HBR Finance: Chap 5
Group Presentations Written & Oral Group presentations: 2/23 Tracy: Chap. 12-16
Reynolds: Chap. 4 & 8
2/25 Recap Presentations Receive Take-home exam
3/2 MID-TERM Turn In Take-home Part, Take In-class Part
5 3/2—3/4 Staying on Track Homework: solo revised Budget due start of 3/4 HBR: Chap. 7
class Axson: Chap. 8
3/9 -3/11 SPRING BREAK
6 3/4 - 3/18 How Are We Doing? Group Project due 3/18 (start of class) Axson: Chap. 3, 6, & 7
Reynolds: Chap. 6
7 3/18- 3/23 Macro Hurdles Homework: solo strategic response due start of 3/23 class Axson: Chap 9
Reynolds: Chap 7
8 3/25-- 4/1 Making Decisions Group Project due 4/1 HBR: Chap 8 & 9
9 4/1—4/6 Beat the Competition Homework: solo strategic response due start of 4/6 class Axson: Chap. 11-12
Porter’s Five Forces: r
10 4/6—4/20 Cashing Out HBR: Chap. 6 & 10
Tracy: Chap. 18 (revisi
Reynolds: Chap 7 & 8
HBR Article: “Rules to
Due Diligence”
4/20 Group Presentations Written & Oral Group presentations: 4/20
4/22 Review Session Receive Take-home Exam
4/27 FINAL Turn In Take-home Part, Take In-class Part